West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-02-18
HERRINGs FOR sARDINES.
What Nature Makes for the French, Man
Makes for Americans.
Philadelphia Record.


to a New York Sun reporter, that
there are very few imported sardines,
and consequently very few sardines
at all, sold in the United States
nowadays, and yet one consumer in
a thousand does not know the differ
ence, so nearly do the fish that are
sold for sardines approach the gen.
uine both in appearance and taste.
Nine tenths of our sardines come
from Maine. There are in Eastport
alone over twenty places where they
manufacture sardines, and there are
dozen others at Jonesport, Lubec
and other towns.
The business began in 1876, and
was started by some New Workers
who went to Eastport, and at first
did quite a business IN lacking
small herring in peculiar looking
little wooden kegs in a pickle of
spices. These herring were placed
in the market as Russian Herring
and ! can remember when the cheap
and fraudulent fish was on the bills
Of fare Of the swell restaurants Of
New York as the highest-priced
relish they served. These enterpris-
ing New Workers made money fast
in their Maine venture, but they be-
lieved there was more still IN model.
ing the herring upon French sar-
dimes, although some shrewd Yam
KEGS had experimental extensively
and spent much money in trying to
make the venture practical some
years before. 1t had been found
easy to cook the little fish, pack
them in olive oil in imitation sar-
dine cans, and give them the appear
ance of genuine imported sardines.
But when they came to be eaten the
fraud was palpable. The rich, spicy
flavor of the French sarline was not
there, but only the unmistakable
taste of the native herring. The
Yankees could not discover any
means by which the herring taste
could be eradicated, and the sardine
business was pronounced failure;
but our smart New Workers, after a
few experiments, hit upon mixture
of oils and spices for packing
sauce which made q sardine of a
herring in twinkling, and gigan-
tic industry has sprung from the
simple discovery. Not only are sar-
dimes made from common herring
now, but from sea trout, fish called
a m oranee and several other finny
species, all herring of lesser or
greater growth.
"The herring of which sardines
are made are never over four inches
long, and the catching of the fish
keeps hundreds of people busy along
the coasts of Maine and New Bruins
wick. The herring go in shoals like
mackerel, and the price received for
them is governed entirely by the
condition Of the fisheries. Some
times the fish swarm along the
coasts, and hauls are made with un
varying success. Then the fisher
man can expect no more than So a
hogshead for his herring. Again,
his nets may be but poorly patron
lied, and he has his recompense in
a higher price, frequently obtaining
SIS and $40 a hogshesd. These
big prices are generally obtained
early in the spring.
"The herring are thoroughly
washed after being cleaned and are
then placed in pickle for an hour.
Taken from the pickle, they are laid
on trays and placed in drying
room heated to a high temperature
by steam. When dry the fish are
boiled in large shallow pans filled
with oil, the fish being thoroughly
cooked in the oil. Girls and women
then pack the herring in the tin
boxes in which they are placed in
the market. The sauce discovered
by the enterprising New Yorker,
which is a patented article, is pour
ed into the boxes, which are handed
over to men who solder ON the COW
erS. To remove the air which is
sealed in with the fish, and which
must be taken out to insure the pre-
servation of the sardines, the boxes
are placed in tank of boiling water
for half an hour. On being removed
they are placed on an inclined plane.
The air inside is then driven to one
corner; a workman punctures that
corner with an awl; the hot air es-
capes, and the awl hole is immedi-
ately covered with drop of solder,
and the box is air-tight. The box
then receives its French label, bear
ing the inscription, a phuille d'olive.'
The 'huille d'olive' is made from
cotton seed in South Carolina, and
isn't the best quality of that, either;
not by q good deal. There is class